We're winding down The Gazette's Holiday Valet series, where we scour the archives for tips and tales to get you through the holiday season. Today, New Year's Eve, we know there are some who've not made plans for NYE celebrations, but who still want to do something special. Back on Dec. 28, 2011, Susan Schwartz pulled together a no-fuss last-minute NYE dinner menu for just such an emergency. (It's too late for the originally included pavlova, so stop by a bakery and let them do the heavy lifting for dessert.) So call a few friends and head to the grocery story. And all the best for 2014 from all of us here at The Gazette.

MONTREAL - Many of us don't like New Year's Eve parties - all that forced gaiety brings to mind a certain desperation, I always think - and the idea of dressing up for a fancy and often overpriced restaurant meal isn't all that appealing, either. So we don't make any plans at all, figuring that at the 11th hour something will come up.

But it is the 11th hour. Time to make your own plan - or spend the evening watching television. And you don't want that.

Here's an idea that requires you to do only this: drum up a few people you'd like to spend the evening with - friends, maybe acquaintances you think are fun, someone who is alone and might not want to be - and invite them to an impromptu dinner. You'll cook them a really simple meal that will require hardly any time or effort to rustle up. I promise. You'll eat. You'll talk. You'll drink wine. You'll toast the new year as it comes in. It will be low-key and fun.

Gita Seaton, formerly of the swish Club Chasse et Pêche and now chef and co-owner of Nouveau Palais, a cheerful Mile End diner known for its welcoming vibe and the simplicity, quality and affordability of its food, has agreed to share the recipe for her mushroom spaghetti.

She cooked one portion of the spaghetti dish so Gazette photographer Dave Sidaway, who acknowledges that he is more comfortable behind the camera than in front of the stove, could photograph the process and I could observe it. Preparing and assembling the dish took no more than a few minutes, it was delicious - and so simple to prepare that we agreed that "even Dave could make this."

The spaghetti is made with only a handful of ingredients: spaghetti, butter, mushrooms and grated Parmesan. It's topped with parsley, chives and a puff of baby arugula - although you could serve the arugula on the side, dress it with a light vinaigrette, and call it a salad.

Start the evening with antipasti, Seaton suggests, the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Buy olives, good cheese, maybe artichoke hearts, pickles, some cured meat and some good bread. "Then sit around eating cheese and drinking wine until the food is ready," she said.

"The only time it takes is to go to buy it. There's nothing nicer than pickles and cheese and wine ... and usually the party happens in the kitchen. Have the food on the counter top while you're cooking the pasta. Make sure you put the cheese near you - and people will come to hang out with you."

Sounds simple enough. But if it still seems too complicated for what you have in mind, you could just make reservations for dinner - any time between 5 and 10 p.m. - and leave the cooking to Seaton or another of Montreal's fine restos. (Editor's note: Here's our list of best fine-dining and casual-dining restos for 2013, if you need a few ideas.)

For the mushroom spaghetti, Jacques Séguin, the "wine guy" at Nouveau Palais, recommends the Merlot Ai Palazzi Riserva Masottina Piave 2004 from the Veneto region of Italy (SAQ # 11405492), "a full-bodied red with hints of dark berry fruits and notes of leather and spices. The earthiness will go well with the mushrooms. It is rich and smooth and well balanced."

For Seaton's suggestion of starting dinner at home with an antipasto, Séguin recommends the Nebbiolo Produttori del Barbaresco Langhe 2009 (SAQ # 11383617).

Boil pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente and drain. Seaton likes the Barilla brand. "It's easy to find and reasonably priced." Do not rinse the pasta; reserve the water. As water boils, trim mushroom stems and wipe mushrooms clean. Melt half the butter (they use Sealtest at Nouveau Palais) in a large skillet until foamy, add mushrooms and sauté them on medium heat for a few minutes until softened, but not coloured. "You want no colour on the mushrooms." Do not salt the mushrooms until after they are cooked. Add the pasta and toss, reducing slightly until the noodles are coated with the sauce. Use a bit of pasta water to thin the sauce if you've reduced it too much. Remove pasta from heat, add the remaining lump of butter, and finally the Parmesan and the truffles or truffle paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper, plate and garnish with the parsley and chives, and a puff of arugula. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and truffle oil, if desired.

Note: Find truffle paste and truffles in various forms as well as truffle oil at such specialty food stores as Les Douceurs du Marché in Atwater Market, 138 Atwater Ave.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.